East Ashiyie residents demonstrate to back demand for amenities
Members of the East Ashiyie Residents Association (EARA) in the Adentan municipality in Accra have staged a demonstration to back their demand for improved facilities in the area, particularly the road network.
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They complained that they had been deprived of some basic facilities by the government and called for the situation to be rectified immediately.
Carrying placards, some of which read: "No roads, no vote", "No water, No road, No campaign", the residents blocked the road leading from Ashiyie through Kpone-Katamanso to Ashaiman and its environs, chanting: "We are suffering, we want roads, we want water."
The roadblock prevented commercial drivers from plying the road, while the demonstrators demanded that the stranded drivers join in the protest to back the demand for an improved road network.
As depicted by their messages, the demonstrators vowed not to allow any political activities to be carried out in the area if their demands were not met.
Angry residents
The Chairman of the association, Mr Mark Amlor, who spoke to journalists, said, "We are angry because we have been suffering for some time now.
"All that we are asking for is that we should be provided with water, while the contractor working on the Ashiyie-Fulani road should return to site immediately," he said.
He said the road was awarded on contract two years ago but work was abandoned shortly after it started and the equipment moved out of the site.
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Mr Amlor alleged that on hearing about a discussion on the project on a radio station last week, the contractor rushed to site and levelled the road but had disappeared again.
On the water situation, he said the association contacted the Ghana Water Company, which quoted GH¢1 million as the amount to be paid before water could be supplied to the area, in addition to GH¢1,200 for water to be supplied to homes.
He said for the residents, that was outrageous and they wondered what role the government and the assembly had to play in the provision of amenities for the area.
Assembly reacts
Reacting to the demands of the community, the Adentan Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Bejamine Angenu, said although the demands were legitimate, it would take some time for their concerns to be addressed.
He explained that the fast springing up of settlements in the municipality was the major cause of the lack of certain amenities in some communities.
"The more we try to provide the amenities, the more settlements spring up," he said, adding that the assembly was aware of the challenges in such communities and was making efforts to address them.
He said the assembly had earmarked some communities that had no potable water supply to be provided with boreholes, "and Ashiyie is one of those communities".
Mr Angenu explained that the government had plans to extend water supply to the community and would do so when it had the funds to finance the cost.
He advised the residents of Ashiyie that if they could not raise the money to get the GWCL to supply water to the area, they should be patient until the government found money to undertake the project.